Envelope



May 23, 1939.

J J. ORMOND ENVELOPE Filed July 26, 1937 Big. 2. ,JTWMEWZZH" 0W 3 warmPatented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE ApplicationJuly 26, 1937, Serial No. 155.587

1 Claim.

This invention relates to envelopes printed on the entire rear face andto a. process of effecting such print ng when the bottom and end flapshave been sealed down and the envelope is fully 5 assembled. i

A very considerable demand now exists in the trade for envelopes printedon the rear face-with advertising matter. However, due to there havingbeen rather widely used a poor grade of printing only partly coveringthe rear face of an envelope, the demand has become more selective andonly when a high grade printing job such as half-tone work whicheffectually covers the rear face of the envelope is possible, is there amarket. In addition these results must be procured at a reasonably smallcost.

In the art at the present time it is very diflicult to eifect goodprinting on the rear faces or backs of envelopes and no process is knownfor commercially performing this operation. The reasons for suchdifliculty comprise the necessity of providing a make ready due to theuneven surface resulting from the flap portions of the envelope, thecharacter of the envelope paper which 0 is usually of a grade notparticularly suitable for fine printing work such as half-tone prints,and the necessity for holding the envelope while it is being printed,requiring the use of grippers, with consequent unprinted areas beingpresent on the 30 envelope.

Of these difiiculties, by far the most pertinent is the one having to dowith grippers as in order to get a good print and take care of theunevennesses of the envelope surface, inks must be used which either donot dry well or which stick to the printing rolls, defeating commercialproduction.

By the use of a gelatine blanket transfer roll, and a particular type ofprinting ink, I have suc- 40 ceeded in eliminating the use of grippers,in effecting a process of printing adapted to commercial scale in costs,quality, and production, and in producing an envelope printed over itsentire rear face characterized by several improve- 45 ments from theprinting which enhance the value of the envelope itself aside from itsappearance.

Among the objects of my invention, there may be cited a process ofprinting the entire rear face of an envelope without grippers, theeffecting of 5 a waterproof and opaque covering on the back of theenvelope, achieved in a substantially dry state immediately afterprinting, and combining printing and a sealing effect taking place alongthe edge formed by the folded over bottom flap 5 of the envelope.

A further object is an envelope having advertising print disposed overthe entire rear face and having its bottom flap edge substantiallysealed by the printing material whereby loosening or opening up of theenvelope flap is largely elimi- 5 nated.

In the drawing illustrating the application of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view intended to illustrate a rotary offsetprinting means as uti- 10 lized in the carrying out of my process.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the envelope; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

While it is understood to be not new to utilize 16 rotary ofisetprinting machines such as that disclosed in the drawing in Fig. 1, it isagain pointed out that its use in connection with the printing of theentire rear face of an envelope without grippers is new and produces aproduct for 20 which there is a large demand. Overcoming thedifliculties recited above is made possible by the printing equipmentused in conjunction with a particular type of printing ink. I

Considering first the mechanism used to effect the printing, I 0indicates a printing roll, ll refers to a transfer roll, and I2 is apressure roll. Roll In is provided with a printing plate l3 of theintaglio type in the particular case illustrated, and the roll isadapted to be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow. This rollpicks up ink from a distributing roll I4 which has been depositedthereon by an ink roll l5 diagrammatically illustrated in associationwith an ink trough l6 containing an ink material ll. I8 denotes a doctorblade being received in a bar l9 for removing excess ink from theprinting plate l3 during rotation thereof.

According to the conventional principle of transfer printing, ink isdeposited from the rccessed portions of the intaglio plate. l3 upon thesoft resilient blanket 20 of roll II. The latter roll rotates inconjunction with roll l2 in such a manner that a pressure member 2iengages with the blanket member 20 over which the ink impression hasbeen delivered by roll Ill.

The subject matter to be printed passes between the pressure plate 2!and blanket 20 with the impression on blanket 20 being transferred tothe subject matter, after which it drops out from between the rolls.

Herctofore, considerable difiiculty has been had in printing on anenvelope with mechanism of this type for the reason that the folded overflap portions of the envelope create unevennesses in the surface to beprinted on, and as a result a picture or print having lighter or darkertone values is obtained. In overcoming this difllculty, the present roll20 is provided with a blanket of gelatinous material which in additionto being soft and resilient and thereby adapting itself to the unevensurface of the rear face or back of the envelope, has the character ofapplying the particular printing ink, about to be described, so that itcomes off the roll in a substantially dry state without stickingoccurring. By effecting this result, the use of the grippers is entirelyeliminated and therefore the entire back surface of the envelope is freeto receive print and form a satisfactory commercial advertising article.

As the new results occurring are effected largely by the action of thegelatine blanket with the particular ink substance described hereafter,it is not considered necessary to indicate or discuss more details inthe machine construction.

The material which I have found gives these new and unexpected resultsis a varnish mixed with metal oxides and pigments and thenthinned to apoint at which it will freely spread on a printing plate.

While it is understood that varnishes in general have been used mixedwith other ingredients such as oils, carbons and the like, to provideprinting inks, it is pointed out that none of these other ingredientsare present in this material, and it is important to note that a mixtureof dissolved gums containing pigments or oxides can be thinned to apoint where it is easily applied by inking rolls to a printing plate,and when transferred from the printing plate to a gelatine blanket ofthe character referred to and contacted with paper, will be deposited inan almost entirely dry state.

Furthermore, the bodied character of the dissolved gum or varnishtogether with metal oxides when applied from the gelatine surface willgive a uniform weight of color on a cheap grade of paper such as that ofan envelope.

As an example of an ink material found to be satisfactory, there may becited a mixture of a metal oxide such as zinc oxide, incorporated with adarmer or white copal varnish made from dissolving a gum such as abatavia gum darmer in turpentine or other solvent as benzlne, benzoin,acetone, and the like. A mixture having the substance occurring inproportions similar to those of an enamel has been found to give verygood results. The amount of thinning, for which purpose turpentine orsome other suitable solvent may be used, can be determined by trial anddepends to some extent upon the grade and character of paper upon whichthe ink material is to be deposited. It has been found that with a softabsorbent type of paper, a less amount of thinning may be effected,while other papers containing more sizing and having a highly glazedfinish, will require an increased amount of thinner.

As a result of this particular material used, there is very pronouncedwaterproofing character taken on by the back of the envelope, and alsothis type of ink gives greatly increased capacity. The waterproofingcharacter provided by an inking material such as an enamel varnish addsgreatly to the value of the envelope as an advertising medium since withthe varnish applied to the entire back side of the envelope a completeprotective coating is effected which is highly resistant to moisture,prevents the occurrence of curling or distortion if the envelope isplaced on a wet surface, protects the contents of the envelope, and isitself unaffected by moisture or other conditions during the passagethrough the mail which sometimes destroys the value of advertisingmatter on envelopes.

Since the envelope is completely covered with a picture or some otherink impression, checks or other confidential data may be enclosed in theenvelope without being discerned when held to the light, and such anarrangement obviates the much more expensive process of printing on theinside of an envelope before it is folded for opacity ity purposes.

Another important feature of the envelope and its process of printingconsists in a sealing effect which is produced during the printingoperation. This sealing effect occurs along the edges formed by thebottom flap of the envelope being folded up. In some instances where acheap grade of paper or glue is used, and the envelope may later besubjected to moist conditions, this flap tends to open up and curl,resulting in an unsatisfactory container of unsightly appearance.

In Fig. 2 there has been illustrated an envelope 24, provided with abottom flap 25 and end flaps 26. 21 indicates printed matter on theenvelope. When flap 25 has been secured to end flaps 26 in the assemblyof the envelope, there results an edge 28.

It has been found that the inking material is of a sufliciently bodiednature as applied by the gelatine roll in proper state of dilution as tolay in against the flap edge 28 and actually provide a seal of print 21therealong, which is very effective in shutting out moisture from theseglued down edges.

In all previous printing operations on envelopes, not only has therebeen great difliculty in applying the print to the uneven surface of theenvelope, but it has been impossible to dispose the ink along the edgeof the flap referred to so that a white margin does not appear. Thecharacter of this type of printing ink, working in conjunction with thegelatine blanket, effectually fills in ink all along the edge 28referred to and in providing a seal along the edge, eliminates theoccurrence of a white margin.

In general, the invention comprises the production of a highly usefuladvertising envelope whose entire rear face or back side is covered withprint without the use of grippers, being opaque and waterproof, andhaving its fiap edges covered and sealed. A sufficiently even and finegrade of printing is efi'ected as to have great commercial value. Theseeffects are made possible by using a thinned varnish which may be mixedwith pigments or metal oxides and thinned to an extent where it may beapplied by a gelatine roll with almost instant drying occurring and yetno sticking being present.

All of these advantages are made possible by the incorporation of theblanket, the inking material, and the degree of thinning depending uponthe grade of paper used. These improvements may be effected with anytype of folded paper container of the envelope family where a similaruneven surface is to be dealt with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

An envelope having its rear face comprising a plurality of fiaps sealedtogether, and a closure flap unsealed but overlapping the sealed flaps,the sealed flaps having a portion of an image or picture disposed orprinted thereon terminating at a line which would be defined by the edgeof the unsealed flap when the latter is brought into tonal valuethroughout its area and throughout each of the uneven flap portionswithout significant differentiation due to variation in the thickness ofthe body of the envelope printed upon. JOHN J. ORMOND.

